Fiduciary Duty Meets Stewardship: Aligning Compliance with Care
401(k) Roundtable
In this episode of 401(k) Roundtable, Rick Unser is joined by Todd Solomon, ERISA Attorney and partner at McDermott Will, & Emery Law Firm, for a timely conversation on the evolving fiduciary landscape. They explore trends in ERISA litigation, the impact of the current administration on the Department of Labor, and the shifting expectations around fiduciary duties. Key topics include the balance between duty of loyalty and prudence, the role of participant demographics in plan decisions, and the challenges plan sponsors face in weighing cost versus value—especially when selecting...
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Modern Plan Design: Navigating 2025’s Testing Challenges
401(k) Roundtable
In this episode of 401(k) Roundtable, host Rick Unser and Alison Cohen, ERISA Attorney and Partner at Ferenczy Benefits Law Center, explore nondiscrimination testing in retirement plans, focusing on long-term part-time employees and new Roth contribution guidelines. They discuss the mega backdoor Roth risks, capping highly compensated employee deferrals, student loan matching, and compliance challenges for controlled groups during mergers. The conversation also covers automatic enrollment rules and audit implications based on new rules. For more insights, visit Ferenczy Benefits Law Center’s...
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What’s Driving the Market in 2025? Key Insights on Equities, Interest Rates, and What’s Next
401(k) Roundtable
In this episode of the 401(k) Roundtable™, we’re joined by Rich Weiss, Chief Investment Officer of Multi-Asset Strategies for American Century Investments and Bob Chapman, Chief People Officer of Trilon Group. They dive into the current state of the investment landscape and focus on the performance of U.S. equities, particularly the S&P 500, and the growing concerns over market concentration. The discussion touches on how generational perspectives influence investment decisions, the impact of interest rates on the economy, and the shifting dynamics of the labor market in a...
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The Evolution of Financial Wellness: Why It Matters in the Workplace
401(k) Roundtable
In this episode of 401(k) Roundtable™, we delve into the evolving concept of financial wellness, its growing importance in the workplace, and how organizations can integrate it effectively. We explore the role of corporate culture in promoting financial wellness and the necessity of making financial wellness a priority within companies. Our guests include Sean Jordan, Vice President of Small and Mid-Market Segments at Principal, and Barbara Coombe, Director of Financial Wellness Benefits at Shaw Industries. Sean brings a unique perspective, drawing from his extensive background in...
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Election 2024 Aftermath: Retirement Policies and Market Reactions
401(k) Roundtable
This episode of 401(k) Roundtable™ explores the implications of recent election results on retirement policies and market reactions. Joining us for this month's roundtable discussion are two leaders from Creative Planning: Sam Henson, Director of Compliance Services, and Jamie Battmer, Chief Investment Office. We discuss the nonpartisan nature of retirement systems, the emotional responses of markets, and the potential changes in 401k policies with a new administration. They also delve into the role of the Department of Labor, the concept of government efficiency, and the challenges facing...
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Business Insights: Navigating the Economic Terrain
401(k) Roundtable
Host Rick Unser and Jeff Schulze, CFA, Head of Economic & Market Strategy at ClearBridge Investments, delve into the current economic landscape as we approach the end of 2024. They discuss the possibility of a soft landing for the economy, examining the implications of inflation trends, the Federal Reserve's recent decisions, and the overall market sentiment. With the elections on the horizon, the duo analyzes how political dynamics can influence business and investment strategies. They emphasize the importance of diversification, explore labor market trends, and assess the outlook for...
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Transforming Employee Retirement Outcomes with Smart 401(k) Design Choices
401(k) Roundtable
In the debut episode of 401k Roundtable, we dive into Vanguard's latest "How America Saves" report, which sheds light on the latest trends in 401(k) plan design. We’ll discuss the report’s findings on plan effectiveness, rising participation rates, and the growing popularity of professionally managed allocations. Our guests share their insights on automatic enrollment and how it's transforming participation rates in their organizations. We’ll also explore innovative features like Super Roth accounts, self-directed brokerage options, and true-up contributions. Our conversation covers a...
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Are We Approaching The Tipping Point For Private Equity & 401(k) Plans?
401(k) Roundtable
It’s been a minute since we focussed on PE and retirement plans. To dive into this I have Dan Cahill of the private equity firm Partners Group, one of two firms that took the initiative to seek guidance from the DOL on the utilization of PE in 401(k) plans. We dive right into, what the significance of the information letter in 2020 was, what has transpired since then, the investment case for and against PE and how plaintiff’s attorneys are viewing things. A lot of great stuff, I learned a lot, hope you do as well. Guest BIo Daniel Cahill is part of the Client Solutions Americas...
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Should the Financial Markets Guide Your Business (or 401(k)) Decisions?
401(k) Roundtable
It seems like the major themes that are dominating the investment markets are also of great interest to individuals trying to make decisions personally or in their businesses. That isn’t always the case. I couldn’t think of a better person to wade through this with me than a perennial podcast favorite Rob Arnott, Founder and Chairman of Research Affiliates. As usual, Rob packages his enthusiasm, excellent communication, and insights in a way that should help you think through current trends and how they could impact you, your business and even a few items on your 401(k). Hope you enjoy!...
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Bonds Behaving Badly, What Happened & What's Next?
401(k) Roundtable
Bonds, or fixed income investments did not have a great year in 2022 to say the least. The big question is now what? To delve into that, I am excited to have Michael J. Collins, CFA, and Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager for Core, Core Plus, Absolute Return, and other Multi-Sector Fixed Income strategies at PGIM. We start with commentaries on performance, then move to interest rates, different areas of the bond market and most importantly, what, if anything plan sponsors should be doing in their 401(k) or workplace retirement plans. Also, Michael mentions the graph below, you'll...
info_outlineI am happy to welcome back another guest who seemingly had predictive powers in prior episodes to briefly reflect on that prediction and give his crystal ball another look. Joining me is Jason Roberts, CEO of Pension Resource Institute and Retirement Law Group and managing partner at Group Plan Systems. Jason also shares input on evaluating some services plan sponsors use that are tougher to compare than say a large cap growth fund. Lot’s of food for thought today, I hope you get as much out of the conversation as I did.
Coming up on the podcast, we are going to delve into the conversation of whether auto everything works in retirement plans, check in on the markets and economy and much more. If you have ideas for a future guest or topic, please send me a message on LInkedIn and we will take it from there.
Guest BIo
Jason C. Roberts is an attorney who focuses on the intersection of tax, ERISA and securities laws and regulations. He is the founder and CEO of Pension Resource Institute, LLC (PRI) – a consulting firm that helps banks, broker-dealers and investment advisers with compliance, training and practice management focused on serving retirement investors. Jason is also the founder and managing partner of Retirement Law Group (RLG) – a law firm for plan sponsors, investment professionals and service providers concerning all aspects of retirement-related products and services – and a founder and managing member of Group Plan Systems (GPG) – a professional, independent fiduciary services organization that administers and serves as a “named fiduciary” for employer-sponsored retirement plans.
Prior to founding PRI, RLG and GPS, Jason was a partner and co-chair of the Financial Services Group at a leading ERISA law firm and the head of the Investment Fiduciary practice for a national securities law firm.
Jason has published numerous articles focusing on ERISA and securities compliance, fiduciary best practices and is a frequent speaker at retirement plan and financial industry conferences. He is a contributing author and faculty member for the Practicing Law Institute, has been repeatedly recognized as one of the “100 Most Influential in Defined Contribution” by the 401(k) Wire and a “Rising Star” by SuperLawyers Magazine. Jason was also selected by InvestmentNews as one of the “Top 40 Advisors & Associated Professionals under 40” and was tapped by the Wall Street Journal for its Ask the Experts series, answering readers’ questions relating to Department of Labor Fiduciary Regulations.
Jason received his B.S.B.A in Finance and Banking from the University of Missouri and his J.D. from UCLA Law School.
Outside of work, you can find Jason fishing offshore, gardening, tending a wide range fresh citrus in his grove, cooking, and spending time with his wife, Val, and children, Lola and Spencer.
401(k) Fridays Podcast Overview
Struggling with a fiduciary issue, looking for strategies to improve employee retirement outcomes or curious about the impact of current events on your retirement plan? We've had conversations with retirement industry leaders to address these and other relevant topics! You can easily explore over 225 prior on-demand audio interviews here. Don't forget to subscribe as we release a new episode every other Friday!